Rotary Club of Girvan hosts annual golf competition at Turnberry

Sports Desk

Each year, and for well over 50 years, the Rotary Club of Girvan has held a golf competition at various local golf clubs.

The competition was started by the late Rev Edgar Whiteman who was president of the club in 1959/60. Edgar had the idea of having a pairs competition comprising of one golfer and one non-golfer and this year’s winners were Mr John Andrew and the Rev Jim Guthrie.

Rev Whiteman, who originally came from Ulster with his wife Olive, had been minister at St Andrews Church in the town of Girvan after the amalgamation of Girvan Trinity Parish Church and Girvan Chalmers Memorial Parish Church.

Mrs Irene Noble of The Avenue Girvan thinks she might be the last surviving ex-member of Chalmers Memorial Church.

Later in 1973 St Andrews Parish Church was to amalgamate with Girvan’s Old Parish Church of St Cuthbert to become the North Parish Church.

The Rotary, Whiteman Trophy was shared this year by Rev Jim Guthrie who comes from Pinwherry. He recently spent three years as the locum of the North Parish Church, a slim link but worth a mention.

The Wightman Cup was first played for in 1960 and won by Rev Wightman in 1963 and 1964.

The full history of the cup is interesting, it was won nine times by Jimmy Crawford between 1996 and 2014 also nine times by Tom Paterson between 1982 and 2013.

Then won six times by Finlay Mills (1992-2015), five times by T Armstrong (1960-1978), four times by W S Linton (1961-1968), four times by D M Muir (1981-2003), four times by W McCubbin (1982 -1991), three times by J W Strachan (1979 -1987), three times by I McGregor (1991-1995), three times by J H Murray (1971-1986) and three times by E McKinnon (1998 -2007).

The golf, however, saw the competitors this year play at Turnberry Golf Club on a very breezy day which sorted out the men from the boys.

But by the end of the day, two trophies were presented – it’s a pairs competition after all.